Li Lindong was sentenced to death by an intermediate court in Xilinhot city for the May 10 homicide of the herder named Mergen that led to street protests against resource exploitation and environmental damage in the region, Xinhua news agency said.

Lu Xiangdong, who was in the truck with Li, was given a life sentence in the six-hour trial, while two others who helped the defendants flee the scene were sentenced to three years for obstructing justice, it said.

Mergen and other Mongols — fed up with an influx of mining companies intent on reaping the region’s rich coal reserves — had attempted to block a number of coal-hauling trucks, including the one driven by the two accused.